New Delhi [India], September 1 (ANI): The Airline Pilots’ Association of India (ALPA India) has flagged concerns over the “attrition of experienced pilots” at the Air India Group and urged Tata Trusts Chairman Noel Tata to commission an independent review of pilot-related and operational issues across the group.
In an open letter to Noel Tata, ALPA India said the Tata Group’s transformation of Air India involves the integration of airlines, fleets, workforces and different organisational cultures, and said certain operational and human-resource concerns need attention at the highest level.
The pilots’ body said it was “increasingly concerned” about the loss of experienced pilots across the Air India Group, particularly at Air India Express. It attributed the attrition to remuneration that has not kept pace with expectations, reduced benefits and deteriorating quality-of-life and working conditions.
ALPA India said experienced pilots are important not only as employees but also because they carry operational experience and institutional knowledge that contribute to an airline’s safety.
The association also raised concerns over the movement of pilots between Airbus and Boeing fleets. While it said such transitions are legitimate when properly trained and regulated, it stressed that moving pilots between different aircraft philosophies requires robust training, adequate consolidation periods and careful management of cockpit experience.
The letter referred to three operational occurrences in 2026 that it said deserved closer examination. These include a Boeing 737 MAX 8 hard landing at Phuket in March, an Airbus A321 tail strike during a go-around at Bengaluru in May, and a reported in-flight control event involving an Air India aircraft in August.
However, ALPA India said it did not seek to prejudge these incidents or attribute them to pilot experience before formal findings. It said the occurrences should prompt deeper scrutiny of Air India Group’s Safety Management System, Flight Operations Quality Assurance programme, training systems and manpower policies.
“Pilot attrition should not be treated as merely an HR, remuneration or industrial-relations matter. Retention of experienced pilots must be recognised as part of an airline’s safety strategy,” the association said.
ALPA India urged Air India and Air India Express to adopt measures including competitive remuneration, adequate leave, predictable rosters, scientific fatigue-risk management, meaningful retirement benefits, transparent career progression and policies to preserve cockpit experience during fleet transitions.
It also called for stronger protection of rest periods and a safety culture where pilots can report fatigue and safety concerns without fear of career consequences.
The association said these measures should not be viewed as additional employee costs but as investments in retention, operational stability and flight safety.
ALPA India further said Air India should aspire to standards substantially higher than minimum regulatory compliance and urged the Tata Group to make the airline one where leading pilots choose to build their careers.
The association has also urged an independent review across the Air India Group covering pilot attrition, remuneration and benefits, roster practices, fatigue data, leave utilisation, cockpit experience, fleet-transition policies, training standards, Flight Operations Quality Assurance trends and the effectiveness of the Safety Management System.
It said the review should benchmark Air India against leading international airlines and global best practices. (ANI)
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